Corey Pein
"Reno" Leyba testified that he couldn't be sure the child in Sarah Lovato's womb was his own.
Marino Leyba, Jr, took the stand today
and, in his own words, said he feared for his life when he shot and killed his girlfriend and her father last year. ---
Reno went on:
The young man's meek demeanor and difficulty finding words on the stand was in stark contrast to the smooth-talking aspiring rapper portrayed by prosecutors and, in interviews with SFR, some of Reno's associaties.
Under cross-examination, Reno called evidence about his past abuse of Sarah–including eyewitness testimony by Julie, and Sarah's own diary entries–a "fabrication."
Prosecutors also alleged that Reno is already the father of a two-year-old, with a previous girlfriend, to which Reno professed ignorance.
Defense attorney Gary Mitchell began his case today by putting the accused's mother, Loretta Leyba, on the witness stand.
Loretta's testimony was designed to support Mitchell's depiction of Marino Leyba, Jr, better known as Reno, as a mentally incapacitated mama's boy. She spoke of her son's difficulty with classwork and fondness for cartoons; even as an 18-year-old, she testified under cross-examination, Reno enjoyed watching Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh.
For background on the case, read this SFR cover story, and this follow-up. For previous days' trial coverage, click here.
